Craig Conover is ready for cameras to roll on season 10 of Southern Charm.
“If we come back, we’ve got a ton to share. I think the boys are in an interesting spot, especially me and Shep [Rose],” Craig, 35, exclusively told Us Weekly at an NYC event celebrating Panera’s new era, which includes 21 menu updates.
The Bravo star reminded Us that the last time fans saw the group in late 2023, Craig, Shep and Austen Kroll were having a “very real, very raw” conversation about drinking – and they are hoping to continue the conversation on camera.
“You saw a portion of a much longer conversation. [There’s] not enough time in an episode. Shep and I — we’ve kept things surface level [since the reunion]. We go to the gym at the same time and we see each other, but I think that’s a big conversation [to continue on the show],” Craig said. “Asking, ‘How was his trip to Costa Rica? What did he take from it and how is he living his life now?’ We haven’t had that conversation yet. So if we come back, I think it’s gonna be something that I’m excited to get off my chest. I’m excited to have a friendship with Shep again.”
Bravo has yet to publicly announce plans for season 10 of Southern Charm, but cast member Madison LeCroy said earlier this month via Instagram Stories that the show will be back. Reports have also surfaced that the series will return with a few changes, including the potential exits of Olivia Flowers, Leva Bonaparte and Rod Razavi. (Leva also films spinoff Southern Hospitality for the network, so it’s possible she may have a scaled back role.)
“We love Olivia, so I hope that’s not the case,” Craig told Us. “Austen probably has a different answer because him and JT [Thomas] — they rile each other up [over Olivia]. But you gotta find peace with whatever’s going on. I think last season was so good because, obviously, you still have to have some structure to make a show, but they kind of just showed up and started filming and I hope, if we come back, that’s what happens because there’s always craziness in Charleston. I love having Rodrigo [Reyes], Rod and Olivia all around.”
Craig noted that casting is “a little more fluid than people think,” explaining, “It’s not like a baseball contract. If you showed up, they’d be like, ‘Hey what are you doing here?'”
There’s also been a change in Austen’s life as he now has a girlfriend named Audrey Pratt.
“He’s actually calling [her] his girlfriend. I’m rooting for him always and we love her. She’s great. She came to me and Paige’s New Year’s party at our house. We’ll see what happens with him,” Craig told Us.
He noted that viewers would see a continued change in him too.
“After 10 years, fortunately, [I’m] going into this new era in my life,” he said, citing his “real relationship” with Paige DeSorbo, his company, Sewing Down South, growing and opening up a new location in Nashville and his own relationship with alcohol. “I don’t really drink anymore — I still have drinks — but what does that look like for me now? Does Charleston still fit? Does my friend group still fit? All things that I’m excited to explore but I think people would be excited to keep watching.”
Craig isn’t the only one in a new “era,” telling Us that he is all in on Panera’s.
“Paige was saying earlier, ‘I think this is the most authentic partnership we’ve ever done,'” Craig told Us, adding the couple used to eat Panera all the time when they got together. “It never got old and I think that’s why this is so exciting with the new era. I’ve always been a huge soup guy, but their sandwiches are great — Ciabatta Cheesesteak [and] the Italian sandwich, Toasted Italiano, is right up Paige’s alley. I was like, ‘I think I’m a Panera sandwich guy now.’ And the new mac and cheese with bacon on it is great and the salads are always awesome.”
Panera must have a real special place in Craig’s heart, because he even lets Paige eat it in her favorite place — bed.
“I usually get mad — well, not mad but — the eating in the bed thing sometimes gets messy, but if it’s Panera, it’s allowed,” he said.
Panera’s new menu officially launches on April 4.
